The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-09-10
FASHION IN PORK
A Claim That streaky Instead Of Fl
Meats are In General Demand.


Meats are In General Demand.
An English correspondent writes: 1t
is rather hard upon our agriculturists
who have for long period used every
effort to produce-out of long-eared,
long legged, hairy greyhound species
Of auimai-a pig resembling ball of
hairless fat, to be told that this animal
does not suit the wants of their Gus
toners, and that they must produce an
animal which has great deal more
lean meat mixed with its fat.
There can be no doubt whatever that
the taste of the day has changed, and
it will be interesting to inquire into
the circumstances which have brought
about this change in the requirements
of the population.
Many years ago, when was staying
with the late Sir Henry Thompson in
Yorkshire, he told me that the taste of
the manufacturing population in his
district was changing very much.
There was a time when the great de-
mand was for very fat cotswold NUT
ton, but recently the Down mutton,
with more lean and less fat, was in de-
mand.
The explanation he gave for this
change was as follows: Formerly the
fat chop was put into the frying-pan
with potatoes, and both were fried to-
gether. Lately, however, the artisan
population had become much better off,
and took their fat in butter and more
costly forms than mutton suet. 1t is
from somewhat similar causes that the
demand, not only for pork and bacon,
but also for beef and mutton, in which
fat and lean arc more evenly distrib-
uted, has of late years arisen. 1t is
not by any means the case that the de-
mands of the population for fatty sub
stances have in any way decreased,
but simply that they can obtain their
supplies in other and more palatable
forms. The agricultural laborer, in
my time, if he ate any meat at all with
his bread, it was the latest bacon he
could obtain; and he rarely consumed
any other form of fat. But this is all
changed now, as he prefers meat with
less fat, and takes his supply Of fat in
more palatable forms.
There can be no doubt that butterine
and the various forms of artificial but
ter have contributed largely to this
altered state of things. The farmers
in this country are not altogether
blameless in having brought about this
unfortunate state of affairs, as the
quality of the butter supplied to our
large towns was far from being as good
as it ought to be, and the consumer
appears to prefer tasteless fat, which
is supposed to be butter, but it is not,
to real butter which has more or less
rank smell or taste.
The more recent advice which the
farmer has received to meet the altered
condition of the pig industry is to con-
vert the lard into butterine, and SO
compete with the foreigner in his own
trade. How far such course would
be permitted, or if permitted would be
successful, can not pretend to say.
To produce so many pounds of increase
in pig by the cheapest forms of food
which can be purchased is no longer
the main object.
10 produce pork in which the fat al
ternates with the lean in regular layers
requires different combination of
foods. For laying on fat alone, proba-
bly, no food is better than Indian corn;
but for the other process more nitro
genous diet is necessary, and probably
skim-milk, with pea meal and rice or
barley, would furnish the desirable in
gradients.
Many years ago, when we were ex-
perimenting on pigs, we noticed that
the more heterogeneous foods produced
pig which grew more, and the flesh of
which was in larger proportion to the
fat, than was the case with pigs fed
with foods containing less nitrogen, but
we did not follow this subject further,
as the taste of the day ran in the direc-
ton of very fat pork. There can be no
doubt that the tendency to put on fat
in masses, and without admixture of
lean, has been developed in some breeds
of pigs, SO that, give them what food
you please, they will continue to fatten.
1t is important, therefore, to select pigs
which retain some of their old charac-
teristics. and by the use of suitable
food l have no doubt that any one can
produce the pork of the day on which
the consumers have set their hearts,
~ Y Herald.